Decorative panels such as hardboard paneling and hardboard tiles are often provided with a top coat comprising one or more applications of a resin such as a polyester, a phenolformaldehyde, an alkyd resin, or the like, cured to form a smooth, scratch resistant surface. It is conventional to decorate the surface of a coated panel to enhance its aesthetic value so that the panel can be used, for example, as a floor, wall or ceiling covering. The surface of known decorated panels reflect light substantially uniformly over their entire surfaces, and the reflection typically is either specular or slightly diffuse.
Decorative panel surfaces have been heretofore formed in a variety of ways. A common method of decorating a panel surface is by mechanical or chemical embossing. Mechanical embossing is accomplished by compressing the surface of the panel to form raised and lowered surface areas in a desired pattern such as, for example, a wood grain pattern. Usually this is accomplished under the action of both pressure and heat.